Your First Netflix Binge Is Probably Embarrassing & Here's How To Find It

Rebecca FarleyFeb 8, 2018 3:10 PM

Netflixwanted us to remember our first, and we took the bait. In a saucy tweet, the streaming site told us exactly how to find out what was the "first" show we really devoured on Netflix. That means three episodes in a row, just you, your couch, and a loose-fitting pair of pants. (During my first binge-watch, I wore a blue nightgown from Target!) If you go to your account, then viewing history and scroll alllllllll the way down, you can spy on the first show you ever binged. Eager for some introspection, the Refinery29 entertainment team decided to take a look in the mirror and ask: What was my first? And what does that say about me as a television viewer? What does it say about television in general?

On our journey, we discovered that Netflix's system isn't totally effective, especially if you share a Netflix account with family members. Records show that my first binge-watch was Friends in 2015, but I know for a fact that I binged shows way before 2015. Some of us even binged shows with honest-to-goodness DVDs. Remember when Netflix sent those in the mail? How very arcane.

In celebration of Valentine's Day, Netflix, and binge-watching, the Refinery29 entertainment team gathered our "firsts" — the shows we first binged — in one place, just so we can ruminate on them. The most binge-able shows vary quite a bit, actually. It's fun to reminisce.

"Party Down, that wonderful, all-too-short-lived show on Starz about depressed cater waiters in Los Angeles who want to be doing anything but slinging 'dervs to the rich and quasi-famous. Each episode took the Party Down crew to a different type of celebration where they couldn't help but get way too involved in the proceedings. These included an orgy, a birthday bash for a Russian mobster, and a shindig at Steve Guttenberg's house that only the Party Down crew attends because I'm sure we were all wondering what Steve Guttenberg has been up to since the '80s (although IMDb just told me he's on Ballers, so good for you, Steve Guttenberg). The show is no longer on Netflix, but Hulu to the rescue. Also, I aspire to be 1/8th as cool as Lizzy Caplan's character."

-Lauren Le Vine, Senior Entertainment Editor

Photo: Courtesy of AMC.

"Breaking Bad! I was embarrassingly late to watch Breaking Bad but once I finally got to it, I regularly stayed up until 3am on weeknights clicking Next Episode because, well, I really needed to see what happened in the next episode. I had to force myself to turn off the TV and go to bed."

-Molly Stout, Entertainment Director

Photo: Courtesy of NBC.

"Parks and Rec was the first show I binged. Aside from it being absolutely hilarious, I like that Parks and Rec has a generally positive outlook, celebrates everyday people, and shows the importance of getting involved with your community. It made me feel good about the world!"

-Elena Nicolaou, Entertainment Writer

Photo: Courtesy of FX.

"Damages: Glenn Close was the scariest and most aspirational bitch I had ever seen in my life!! It is so suspenseful and dark that you simply can't stop watching. I binged this with a few of my friends and it made us want to become lawyers for a few weeks."

-Morgan Baila, Entertainment News Writer

Photo: Mtv/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

"The Hills! I can't believe I forgot! I had missed it when it first aired on MTV because I was in a friend group that listened to the Wicked soundtrack when we hung out rather than doing normal teenager things like watching current TV shows. I binge-watched the first season one summer and then the next summer I watched the rest of it and I remember being hungover for the first time and watching them drink in a club and seeing them take shots made me have to get up and puke! This was the summer before college when I didn't have summer reading or any work to do so I used the opportunity to watch all the shows I knew I should have already seen but hadn't."

-Kathryn Lindsay, Entertainment News Writer

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.

"House of Cards. It was ruthless, different, and I couldn't look away! And it's hard to resist when the next episode starts automatically. (PS — Pay Robin Wright all da monies!!!)"

-Maia Efrem, Associate Entertainment Editor

"I wasn't allowed to watch television when I was younger, so when I obtained a laptop and a Netflix password in college, things got hot and heavy quickly. I watched Bones, because procedurals still seemed interesting at the time. (Anything seems interesting after years of TV deprivation.) The show seduced me with the promise of romance between Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel). Of course, the romance didn't happen until season six, and by the time season six aired, I had moved onto bigger and better binges."

-Rebecca Farley, Entertainment Editorial Assistant

Photo: Courtesy of FX.

"It was my junior year of college in cold, harsh Upstate New York, all of my friends were abroad, and I needed some comfort. So, I turned to the strong, waiting arms of Arrested Development. I had heard so many great things about the cult comedy, I needed to check it out for myself. And, ca-caw, did it live up to the hype."

-Ariana Romero, Entertainment Writer

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